Mama Exotica, why bad nose! So what?

Exotica's Recent Mother's Day Ads
You know, the whole fuss on the blogosphere and twitter that has been going on about Exotica's ads, to which I didn't really react or respond... Finally, I now have something to say about it, because it's taking too much of our lives, I might as well nag.

For me, the big nose and big ear hereditary thingie, was simply a case of "I see, I get, Exotica changed their way, no use of flowers, riskay, I like and I wasn't offended at all". Because for me, I won't stand in front of mom and tell her:

"Mom thanks for everything you gave me (however I perceive beauty that is) but the nose... not so much, I mean how could you? You know, if I were you I wouldn't have gotten married so I don't risk giving a bad nose to my children, or maybe mom, you should've waited till the genetic engineering would have really advanced on the subject!"

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Thank you, no good no bad... just Thank you
For me, when I say thanks mom, I don't say thanks for the good, or thanks for the bad, I just say Thank you mom, I love you for who you are and what I am because of you. In my opinion, if I wanted to criticize Exotica, that would've been it. Just thank you, yet I really respect the fact that they risked something out here, and mentioned both good and bad so they can get out of the cliché. Why the big fuss though and bashing exotica, it was beyond me. Fellow blogger Maya found it offensive, and many others showed their frustration on twitter as well.

Some offended by Exotica's Billboard Ads
However, and this is where I agree with Maya, the Moukarzel ad, which I saw some time ago, even before March 8 - the International Women's Day, and there is also the C&F ad, they're plain silly. Especially the Moukarzel one, when I saw it, I knew who it was targeted for.



Not only Jewelery is my right, but a 2010 Bentley!
I can never imagine a woman going to her husband and telling him:

"7ayeteh Afif, ana bejle w bnaddif w bkannis w jeybe wled w inta bit massi7 fiye el ared eddem el jiran, w marra shaba2tneh kaff la2anno 7atet mele7 zyede bil mjadra, HOWEVER (language turns English, because they have better women rights then us), I DEMAND TO RECEIVE JEWELERY, YOU SEXIST PR*CK "

Oh well, as Maya and Plus961.com put it, Exotica listened (although for me it wasn't necessary, yet it is nice to see Exotica acknowledge the importance of social media nowadays), so I join my voice to Maya and hope that Moukarzel (ah I just remembered his other horrid ads in which he stands in the back, his skin color so different from the model's) and whoever else diminishes the importance of a mother by a perfume, or a Tefal, or a carpet, to listen and start doing real impressive creative billboards.

(So, do we as bloggers get something from Exotica because we've been talking about you so much? Come on, incentive? Send me white daisies, I love daisies)

Photos Courtesy of Jobox.blogspot.com and MayaZankoul.com, Comic courtesy of Maya of course!

Even diners are now in it!

Well, they might as well take advantage of the whole elections fiesta! So Bob's diner advices everyone, don't go vote on an empty stomach!

Billboards, some getting creative, some just plain ridiculous

As you have probably noticed my dear reader, I have a fascination with Billboards, but I think many other Lebanese residents do too. Why you wonder? It's because they are too many of them and just everywhere. You cannot but stare at 4 or 5 at the same time while driving. Billboards in Lebanon are a very effective way of advertising, due to the repetitive traffic we encounter on a daily and regionally basis!

Especially lately, politics has stumbled upon billboards as diamonds to... everyone! Billboards are not just there to advertise products or shops or events, they're there to advertise politicians. Since Hariri's assassination in February 2005 we have seen many of them move their propaganda war to billboards (more like copy, because no one really gives up on media propaganda), and now with the elections, billboards are just sitting there waiting for candidates to take a picture of themselves, with so many kinds of poses, frowning, smiling, laughing, reflective, you name it, and then throw in a little catchy slogan down below. (I promise, I will try to take pictures of them as much as I can), but for now, below are my evalution of these three different kinds of billboard promotions:


I love playing on words, it's my hobby! And this billboard, makes me laugh everytime I see it :) For those of you who don't know arabic, Chery can be associated with Buy! In Lebanon we have a saying "Shtiree Ra7tak", which is translated to "Buy your comfort" and means that sometimes you need to spend a bit more money on something but it's worth it as you will be getting something that will just relieve your mind from worries and lead you to comfort!


It's smart, MTC (one of the two mobile companies in Lebanon) is declaring that it now has 1 million voices, and well you need a voice to use a mobile phone, so yes it's smart, especially with the up-coming elections, a vote is a voice...


And finally, one of the most ridiculous billboard ads ever, Mr Farid Al Khazen ad. Before this one, the billboard contained the same landscape picture with the same text on it, excluding the candidate's name and portrait. The dude believes... There are a series of billboards saying that he believes in youth and elderly, he believes in nation and women, etc.. In Arabic there is some closeness between the 2 words he chose to believe in, but nonetheless, it is a bit pointless. You want to believe? Believe! Just don't go about saying it to the world as your campaign to get elected... I wouldn't vote for you.

That's it for today. More coming soon

Sara.. will you marry me? Cedric.

While driving on the highway towards Antelias from Jal el Dib, just near Antelias bridge on the left, this huge billboard (a bit blurry) caught my eyes (and the eyes of all Lebanese who drove by there).

The billboard says: "Sara... will you marry me?" signed "Cédric."

I thought we only see that kinda proposals in the movies, it is so creative and cute. I am not sure if it's gonna end up being an ad for something, but if it's a true proposal, it's very nice and Cédric, Kudos for you!

So Sara, did you say yes?

Only in Lebanon

Signs you'll only see in Lebanon!

In Lebanon we tend to translate political beliefs, idiocricy and silly propaganda into our billboards, billboards that are supposed to ambush us by telling us that a car with the current year model is only 10'000$, which contains beneath it in a very very small font "Excluding VAT, Excluding Registration, Excluding Gear, Excluding Wheels..."

Anyway, I got three signs for you! I was at the Housing thingie applying to get a loan for a house, and I saw a sign that said: "Please don't turn off your cigarettes on the floor". I thought I was reading it wrong expecting something like "Please don't smoke". I am so retro.

Another funny one coupled with "Sex, Unisex":



No comment really, it is all thanks to Aoun that "partnership" is back to Lebanon.

And finally, something that REALLY reminds me of the time when Emile Lahoud, the most hated guy in Lebanon for the past 9 years. New billboards Thanking General Michel Suleiman, our upcoming president.



It is just amazing how Lebanese forget, get so excited, so happy over anything slightly positive, clinging to an atom of hope, thinking that everything in just 2 days can make the country better. It does give this vibes, it really does, but we're just repeating history if we keep doing the same mistakes, the same reactions and the same way of thinking. Silly us.

I Love Mom

The latest addition to the "I Love ..." collection that started with "I Love Life" sponsored by March 14, continued by the opposition, used by several companies with adjusted sentences to suit their product, such as "I Love Life in Diamonds", "I Love Carpets" and "I Love Samak" (Samak is Fish in Arabic), with finally a new player joining the team, "I Love Mom". (In Lebanon, Mother's day is celebrated on March 21st).

I Heart Carpets

The I Love Life campaign has received a lot of attention, criticism, and public awareness to its purposes, it is now famous, the publicity has succeeded 100%. So companies such as Voyageur (Jewellery), picture courtesy of Rampurple's blog. The below billboard says: I Love Life in Diamonds.



Now, Iran Maktabi has also made use of this famous campaign to attract the eyes to his products, picture below, courtesy moi. The billboard says: "I Love Carpets"



In my opinion, they intelligently used the success of the previous campaign for mere publicity purposes, might sound naughty and not nice, but after all, this is what publicity is all about.